He is joined by hundreds of fellow Zimbabweans applying for South African work permits before the expiry of the special registration period on December 31. I have been sleeping here for three days, but I have only been able to get forms to fill in, so I am back for the fingerprints, he told me.
What bothers Masika is that he may not be able to get registered by Christmas and he will have to forgo his traditional visit to see his family at home, because he risks being turned away at the border on his reeturn. Masikas story is not unique in the winding queues at several Home Affairs offices around South Africa.
Zimbabweans staying in South Africa without proper documentation have until December to regularise their stay and those found without permits after the deadline will be deported. Those applying for a permit will need to submit a valid Zimbabwean passport and proof of employment in the form of an official letter from a registered company or an affidavit from an employer.
But many Zimbabweans are living in South Africa without passports and will have to first apply for a passport through the special facility of the Zimbabwean Home Affairs, which has sent officials to South Africa to process passport applications. Last week, the South African Home Affairs said 46 000 applications were still waiting adjudication out of the received 73 400. At least 5 000 applications have been rejected since the process started in September.
Another Zimbabwean, Grace Kurasha, said her frustration was caused by the sluggish process of applying for permits. The treatment we are getting from the Home Affairs officials is awful, the people are slow and they do not seem to respect us, she said. At some centres, like the Market Square office, only 50 people are allowed inside for processing each day. This has seen many people spending days in queues, waiting for their turn.
Others get application forms and dates on which they return the forms for fingerprinting. Once this is done, the applicants will have to wait for an SMS that acknowledges the application and providing a further collection date. The director of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (Cormsa), Caroline Wanjau, was quoted in the South African media saying her organisation had asked for the extension of the deadline to June next year.
We havent any indication whether this is possible. What is of concern to us is there are still issues such as people waiting for their passports. The first batch of those passports was only delivered by the end of October, she said. She said Cormsa is seeking a meeting with the South African Home Affairs to clarify on the appeals process on rejected applications among other issues.
However for those whose applications have been successful, it is the dawn of a new era. The Zimbabwean caught up with Barbra Nkowani, who has lived in South Africa for nine years using fake documents. I used to be scared of being caught by the police but now I am free; I can now move around freely and I can even go home and come back easily, said Nkowani, a teacher by profession. I was afraid of applying for bigger jobs, but now I have the confidence to look for better paying jobs. But for me to get this, I had to spend two weeks sleeping in the queue, she said.
Post published in: News